Class code 5445 — Wallboard/Drywall Installation

This classification covers drywall contractors who hang, tape, and finish wallboard on interior walls and ceilings in both residential and commercial construction. Work includes measuring and cutting sheets to fit, screwing or nailing them to framing, applying joint tape and compound over seams, and sanding the finished surface smooth before painting. Ceiling installations, including some overhead grid work, are common on commercial jobs.

Payroll includes hangers who carry and install the heavy sheets, tapers and finishers who apply and sand joint compound, and laborers who handle material staging and cleanup. Hanging and finishing are often done by different specialists within the same crew, but both are included under this classification.

Overhead work while hanging ceiling drywall creates strain on the neck, shoulders, and back, and repeated lifting of heavy sheets — especially when working solo or on stilts for ceiling and high-wall work — is a leading cause of injury. Sanding joint compound generates fine dust that requires respiratory protection, and stilts used for reaching high walls and ceilings add a fall hazard specific to this trade.